


a rose by any other name

by wombatpop



Series: breathe [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Captain America: The First Avenger, Double Dating, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Secret Crush, Trans Steve Rogers, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:54:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29262330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wombatpop/pseuds/wombatpop
Summary: It was Bucky’s idea. He was always pushing Steve to try new things, things Steve would never have thought of doing on his own. It’s not like Steve isn’t headstrong, determined, goal-oriented. But he can be so focused on the big picture he misses out on the little things in life. That’s what Bucky’s there for - that’s his specialty. So when Valentine’s Day rolls around, Bucky predictably takes it upon himself to encourage Steve to celebrate it.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: breathe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1071885
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	a rose by any other name

It was Bucky’s idea. He was always pushing Steve to try new things, things Steve would never have thought of doing on his own. It’s not like Steve isn’t headstrong, determined, goal-oriented. But he can be so focused on the big picture he misses out on the little things in life. That’s what Bucky’s there for - that’s his specialty. So when Valentine’s Day rolls around, Bucky predictably takes it upon himself to encourage Steve to celebrate it.

Steve isn’t sure why he agrees. He’s not convinced by any of the alleged benefits Bucky tries to sell him. He’s utterly sure the girl is not going to like him. Besides, it’s not like he could get too far with any girl before being forced to excuse himself. But Bucky is so excited to be part of Steve’s debut that he feels compelled to go along with it, fully expecting an at best awkward, at worst disastrous evening.

Bucky helps him dress up for the occasion. Steve makes an effort too, doing his best to clean up his bruised knuckles and tousled hair. He even spends a few precious cents on a single rose for his temporary beau. His mother had always said that a man should buy flowers on the first date, show he cared. God, he misses her. He’s not got long before he’ll lose the house and that will be it. The proverbial last nail in the coffin, the physical nail long buried but Steve’s grief never quite settling into the soil. 

The girls are beautiful, of course. They would be, with a face like Bucky Barnes asking for their attention. They go to the movies, full of couples. Some pairs are comfortable, easily slipping one hand in another where they sit. Others radiate newness, nervous even to look at each other. 

The film is a welcome excuse from talking. The girl, nice as she is, is clearly bummed to have been stuck as his date and not Bucky’s. Bucky’s date can’t take her eyes off him. Steve can’t blame her; Bucky is far more interesting to look at than he is.

Steve loves films anyway. The expression, the theatre. How the actors can take a character and make it real on the screen, like if he reaches out his hand he can touch their tears, run his fingers through their delicately styled hair, feel the textures of their carefully designed clothing. 

When the film finishes, one of the girl’s father picks them up. Steve and his date exchange a stilted handshake - he offers, she unhappily reciprocates. Bucky dares to kiss his date’s cheek. She practically pushes his face onto her own, but he hardly complains.

The two of them walk home, dodging couples who walk arm in arm or canoodle in the shadows.

“Good night?” Bucky asks. Steve shrugs, obviously a little disappointed.

“Yeah, I’ve had better nights.”

“I’m sure.”

Steve thinks again of how Bucky’s date pulled him closer to her. It was a graceful move, but something about it leaves Steve uneasy in the pit of his stomach. He wasn’t in the habit of thinking about giving or receiving that kind of affection. There are too many variables, too many factors to consider and not enough ability for him to solidly predict the outcome. For someone who makes it a habit to throw himself into situations, often recklessly, there’s one arena where a lack of control terrifies him to his core. 

Perhaps it’s his previous experiences, where uncovered secrets have ended with painful consequences, that pushes him away from things like that. He’d have to trust the person a lot. He’d have to trust them as much as he trusts Bucky.

How long have they been walking, with Steve's eyes glued to the details of Bucky’s face? Five minutes? Twenty?

Bucky’s lips must feel soft against skin. Against Steve’s skin, they could feel…

Terrible. They would feel awful. Because Bucky is a friend. And a boy- a man. Not the kind of person Steve should be looking at these days. Definitely not.

“One of these days we’ll find you a girl, Steve. Just gotta find the right one.” Bucky flashes Steve one of his signature smiles, and Steve tries very hard not to be charmed any more than is reasonable.

“Yeah, course. The right one.”


End file.
